Department for Transport

Aviation: Vetting

Lord Taylor of Warwick: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to temporarily reduce the length of the employment history which is subject to background checks for potential new employees in the aviation industry.

Baroness Vere of Norbiton: We do not currently intend to temporarily reduce the length of the employment history check for background references for new employees in the aviation sector.We have instead worked to provide different support to help industry manage background checks and reduce the time it takes to recruit staff. In early May the Secretary of State for Transport agreed that the aviation industry could use HMRC employment history letters that cover the required period, as a suitable form of reference check (with safeguards) for those wishing to work in the aviation industry.

East West Rail Line

Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth: To ask Her Majesty's Government when work on the proposed rail link between Bedford and Cambridge will (1) start, and (2) be completed.

Baroness Vere of Norbiton: CS2 (Bletchley to Bedford) and CS3 (Bedford to Cambridge) are at development stage, and options for the sections were consulted on as part of a wide-ranging non-statutory consultation from March-June 2021.EWR Co. is currently reviewing submissions to this and intends to publish the response to the consultation later this year.As a Nationally Significant Infrastructure Project (NSIP), EWR Co. is planning to submit a Development Consent Order (DCO) to secure the relevant planning and permitted development powers and the Government and EWR Co. will set out next steps for the project in due course.

Driving Tests

Lord Patten: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the time taken to issue dates for driving tests.

Baroness Vere of Norbiton: The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) has a 24-week forward booking window and tests are not available to book beyond this. The DVSA adds new test appointments to the booking system on a weekly basis when the 24-week forward booking window refreshes.All available practical driving test appointments, including cancellations, show on the live booking system to everyone at the same time. The DVSA adds any additional tests to the system as soon as they become available.

Home Office

Immigration: Applications

Lord Jones of Cheltenham: To ask Her Majesty's Government which companies they have outsourced immigration processes to; and in which country each of those companies is registered.

Baroness Williams of Trafford: The core suppliers, those who support the visa application service for immigration to the UK are Sopra Steria Ltd, TLS and VFS Global Service PLC are all registered in the UK.

Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

UK Endorsement Board

Baroness Bowles of Berkhamsted: To ask Her Majesty's Government, furtherto the Written Answer byLord Callanan on 27 May (HL402), whether the Secretary of State or the UK Endorsement Board have been endorsing International Accounting Standards as set out in Regulation 7 of The International Accounting Standards and European Public Limited-Liability Company (Amendment etc.) (EU Exit) Regulations 2019 only, and without reference to section 403(1) of the Companies Act 2006.

Lord Callanan: As set out in the answer I gave the noble Baroness on 27 May 2022 to Question HL402, both the Secretary of State and, following the delegation of statutory functions, the UK Endorsement Board have adopted international accounting standards in accordance with the International Accounting Standards and European Public Limited-Liability Company (Amendment etc.) (EU Exit) Regulations 2019.

UK Endorsement Board: Public Appointments

Baroness Bowles of Berkhamsted: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer byLord Callanan on 23 May (HL245), why the post of Chair to the UK Endorsement Board was not regulated by the Commissioner for Public Appointments.

Lord Callanan: The Chair campaign was not regulated by the Commissioner for Public Appointments as the role is not currently included on the Public Appointments Order in Council. Only roles included on the Order are regulated by the Commissioner. The classification and form of the UK Endorsement Board means it was not included on the Order, however this position may be reviewed in future. Nevertheless, the campaign was run in accordance with the usual regulated process in all respects other than the advert remaining on the Cabinet Office website after the closing date.

Company Accounts: Standards

Baroness Bowles of Berkhamsted: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer byLord Callanan on 23 May (HL404), whether they will now answer the question put, namely, whether the result of companies having to do adjustments has been subject to an impact assessment in terms of (1) burdens on business, and (2) the risk of hiding insolvency.

Lord Callanan: The matter in the question was not considered in the January 2007 impact assessment on the Companies Act 2006.

Company Accounts: Standards

Baroness Bowles of Berkhamsted: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer byLord Callanan on 23 May (HL404), what assessment they have made of whether directors and auditors should be making “adjustments” at the time the accounts are signed, because the lack of such adjustments could hamper the determination of solvency/going concern position of a company.

Lord Callanan: The directors are responsible for signing off the accounts and making sure they comply with the requirements of the Companies Act 2006. The Companies Act requires that companies take into account the additional factors in Part 23 of the Companies Act when calculating distributable profits. This is to ensure that a company may only make distributions out of profits available for the purpose of distribution.

Company Accounts: Standards

Baroness Bowles of Berkhamsted: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer byLord Callanan on 27 May (HL403), what “other criteria” must be assessed under Part 23 of the Companies Act 2006, in addition to those set out in sections 833A and 844, before paying a dividend.

Lord Callanan: Companies are required to take account of all of the matters in Part 23 of the Companies Act 2006 before paying a dividend.

Accountancy: Standards

Baroness Bowles of Berkhamsted: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer byLord Callanan on 23 May (HL294), whether (1) the International Accounting Standards Board’s Framework extant in 2001, (2) the Conceptual Framework published in 2018, or (3) some other “Framework” or “Conceptual Framework”, applies to UK adopted accounting standards under IAS1.

Lord Callanan: The Conceptual Framework issued by the International Accounting Standards Board is not an international accounting standard and therefore is not adopted into UK law. Nevertheless, it does provide a basis for the use of judgement in resolving accounting issues. It is only of relevance in situations where no specific international accounting standard applies to a transaction, event or condition (as set out in IAS 8 Accounting Policies, Changes in Accounting Estimates and Errors).

Directors: Females

Lord Taylor of Warwick: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plansthey have to introduce a quota ensuring that women have at least 40 per cent of the seats on corporate boards.

Lord Callanan: Since 2011, the Government has supported a series of business-led independent reviews, increasing participation of women on FTSE boards via progressive targets: 25% women (Davies Review); 33% (Hampton-Alexander Review) and, to date, 40% (FTSE Women Leaders Review, published 22nd February 2022). Women’s representation has grown from 9.5% FTSE board members in 2011, to 37.6% to the end of 2021. The UK is ranked second only to France, compared to other nations working to gender balance public listed companies’ boards. The Government continues to commit targets, but, given the successes of the voluntary approach, has no plans to introduce mandatory quotas.

Heat Pumps

Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of how collaborative training can be developed between manufacturers, colleges, and other training providers to (1) develop, and (2) roll out, heat pump system training.

Lord Callanan: Training courses are available for existing heating engineers to learn to install heat pumps and can be completed in one week. Industry groups are confident that there will be enough training capacity to be able to meet demand for heat pump upskilling as heat pump deployment increases. The Government is also updating the apprenticeship framework for heating and plumbing to ensure this offers the right skills to deliver Net Zero. The Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education is working with an industry group to revise the existing Plumbing and Domestic Heating apprenticeship, and to develop a new Low Carbon Heating Technician apprenticeship.

Cabinet Office

Civil Servants: Training

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they taketo ensure that material used in training programmes for civil servants is in accordance with the law.

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the contents of the civil service 'inclusion workshop' run by A:gender in respect of its compliance with the Equality Act 2010 and the protected characteristics asset out in section 4 of the Act.

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: To ask Her Majesty's Government what processes the civil service 'inclusion workshop' run by A:gender went through before approval was given for its delivery.

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will publish the contents of the civil service 'inclusion workshop' run by A:gender.

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made, if any, of the impact of the civil service 'inclusion workshop' run by A:gender on the development of Government policy.

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will withdraw their support for the civil service 'inclusion workshops' run by A:gender.

Lord True: This a:gender ‘inclusion workshop’ is not recognised as civil service training. The Government Skills and Curriculum Unit (GSCU) manages the design and quality assurance process for all government training, provided within the new Campus for skills, and defined by the new curriculum. The five strands of the curriculum outline the knowledge and skills required to be effective in any role in the Civil Service, and as such the training and development provided in the Campus. This sets the standards for training provided centrally for all Civil Servants, alongside the responsibilities of Government Professions to determine the qualifications and capabilities for specialist and technical skills. The a:gender workshop is not advertised as training, attendance at the workshops was voluntary.